The present invention relates to a process chamber apparatus for processing one or more objects housed therein.
A process chamber of a process apparatus such as a CVD apparatus and an etching apparatus includes a member such as a lower electrode on which an object to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate, is placed, and the maintenance of the inside of the process chamber, e.g., the inspection and cleaning of the above member and the inner wall of the process chamber has been performed on a day-to-day basis. In a prior art process apparatus, an operator performs maintenance of the inside of a process chamber by hand through an opening formed in the top end of the chamber or by inserting a jig into the chamber from the opening. However, not only such an operation is troublesome, and takes a lot of time and decreases the productivity of the process apparatus, but also the maintenance is not necessarily performed satisfactorily.